


Friday and Monday

by CaptainErica



Series: Studying Defeats You Eventually [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 8th year, F/M, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-10 11:26:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17425004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainErica/pseuds/CaptainErica
Summary: Hermione studies for Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures... for the most part. She can't help what she overhears when she makes her way to the library.





	Friday and Monday

Friday’s were for Arithmancy revision.

They had been for quite some time, a few months at least, and if anyone in the Gryffindor common room, or indeed in Hermione’s entire year wasn't aware of this, then they were quite stupid.

She preferred studying in the common room on Friday’s, mostly because it meant she could stay up late if she was particularly focused on a specific form or problem or equation. Unfortunately, no one this Friday evening seemed to remember that people liked to _study_ , nor that those here making up a missed 7th year might have a rather desperate wish to go back to normal; i.e studying and proper school work.

This is why Hermione finds herself in the library tonight, desperately wishing that there was no curfew (she could get away with it, as Head Girl, but it just seems wrong). She’s hidden herself in a back table, books all around, notebooks as well. It’s nicely quiet, quieter than the common room ever was, but it was lonelier as well, made it somehow harder to focus (the loud noises forced her to focus, the laughing and the talking…).

“Well, it depends on the Head Girl.” A voice says from an aisle or so away. It gets Hermione’s attention less because of her name and more because she thinks she recognizes the voice; a little high in comparison to most boys Hermione knows, and a little nasally.

The person they’re talking to puts a book away a little loudly and Hermione winces, hoping Madame Pince doesn’t come over. “Everything you do depends on her.” A much deeper voice says, and Hermione recognizes that one easily: Blaise Zabini, a surprise returner, and an even more surprisingly decent person.

“That’s unfair.” The first voice says, and Hermione tries to decide who it could be, maybe Theodore Nott? He had a higher voice…

Zabini moves out of the aisle and into Hermione’s line of vision, so she has to stop obviously listening in and instead turns her head back to her notes, missing who he was with. “It’s true, you can barely eat breakfast without making sure she’s there first.” Zabini says, and she doesn’t hear the response, which is rather disappointing.

She can’t even feel bad for eavesdropping, since it had been about her, and it wasn’t even anything bad just… interesting.

When she’s finally on her way out, she sees Zabini lingering in the hall with Malfoy; she can’t believe that’s who had been talking earlier, though.

Monday’s were for Care of Magical Creatures.

Hermione’d kept the class for a number of reasons, but mainly it was because if she wanted to work some type of change in the wizarding world, she needed to know how they saw the different magical beasts. It had been kind of drilled into her through her interactions with Hagrid, and through her 3rd and 5th years. The way Professor Lupin had been treated, the way Umbridge thought of anything that wasn’t decidedly _human_ in her eyes… Well it was right angering and she was going to figure out how to fix things, make things better (ignoring S.P.E.W, which Harry had eventually managed to convince her to let go of for a small moment until she had learned more).

Care of Magical Creatures was also a rather easy class to review for. The N.E.W.T guidelines for it were vague, and she had a fairly broad understanding and practical knowledge, so it was a good Monday kind of study.

This was the kind of study that Hermione liked to do in the library: she could get up and wander around to find books, chase thoughts on laws and history. Since it was light, she could get distracted, and that’s the best time to be in the library because there are so many things to _look_ at in the library. She could chase any of her side thoughts, look into old laws, see how they’ve changed, see where they could be changed further…

Or she could sit at a table by the window and watch the snow of December fall, wondering if she should take the Weasley’s up on their invitation for the holiday.

She didn’t have to, she knew, she could cite her duties as Head Girl; she could cite a need for solitude, or the fact that she misses her family, or the gentle reality that the Weasley household was still just a touch too depressing for her to wish to go back.

Ginny had asked her if she was coming, and had told her she’d be better off not. It was almost surprising to have been told, Hermione thinks as she watches the wind whip the snow around, but it was also very like Ginny: straight to the point. She appreciated it, though, because the depressing bit was probably the biggest part, but just below it was her wish not to encourage Ron into thinking they could date.

He had been the first to think it, which was rather refreshing, but still it was probably best to give him a little physical space from her, especially since he was having such trouble in Auror training…

“Didn’t expect you to go home, mate, honestly.” Blaise Zabini says, close enough that Hermione blinks at having her thoughts disturbed, but far enough that she can’t tell which direction he is coming from.

“Well, Parkinson gave me a bit of an earful, for some reason, really.” Draco Malfoy says, his nasally voice rather distinctive from this close, clearly heading for a table behind Hermione.

There’s a sound like a snort, probably from Blaise, and Hermione smiles to herself a little bit before trying to focus on the snowflakes again. “She probably thought your mother would heed her parents’ summons to their society party. You heard they invited Potter? He waved off, said he wasn’t available this year.”

Hermione frowns slightly at that, remembers the letter from Harry about the invite, about how he’d said he would only go if she and everyone else in their year agreed. They’d decided that it would be better to take a year off of big party-like things, give everyone proper time to mourn.

“Smart.” Malfoy says, “and mum felt the same, used him as an excuse, actually, can’t say I’m not pleased.”

This, truly, surprises Hermione, makes her smile a little and she thinks she’ll mention this little exchange to Harry in her next letter.

They start talking about schoolwork soon, and Hermione tunes them out and finishes her revision before packing up and carrying her things out past their table. She hadn’t meant to go past that table, had actually planned not to, but maybe she had been thinking about it a little too much as she packed up and so… Blaise says hello, and she throws him a smile, her expression making it to Malfoy as well, which he clearly didn’t expect because the look on his pinched face is almost surprised. It’s quite refreshing actually.

She has a bit of a bounce in her step as she walks out, and she’s not really sure why.


End file.
